Poetry Competition

EXTINCTION

Modern man fought
to the last man standing
but nature won in the end,
her weapons more powerful
her supply of ammunition
inexhaustible.
It helped that by the finish
the man were mostly fighting one another.

The world was left to ancient man
who watched in wonder
from a safe distance,
then emerged to reclaim
his inheritance.

Now that the dust has settled
a small dark figure
silently appears
on a rocky outcrop
in a dry red country.
He moves a bush
from the mouth of a cave
and whispers to the thylacine
'You can come out now,
they've gone."

MAGNIFICENCE UNMATCHED

 My heart, like a dolphin, danced to the colour,
          Of green and blue depths, and sunsets divine.
          At first I perceived this gift made for me,
          But soon realized, it is yours and it's mine.
          

          Sands swirl and dance to the force of the wind,
          Mountains reach up to play with the mists.
          The moon on the firmament signs its great arc,
          And sea stars by fish are fervently kissed.
          

          Cloud-filled heavens are laced with swift birds,
          Whales sing to their calves, sounds of the sphere.
          Sea turtles fly beneath calm, deep waves,
          Man belches filth to a strained atmosphere.
          

          Life would be cheapened if never again,
          Could we sense the power of forests and falls.
          Or see for ourselves where river meets sea,
          Or hear the sounds it makes when it calls.
          

          If humanity responded to nature's fine tunes,
          And if we can find our hearts in one place,
          We'd no longer fail to recognize value,
          Restored be our hope for nature and our race

MAN'S WRONGS & ANIMALS'RIGHTS

It sways gently from side to side
          There are heaps of places for animals to hide
          Untamed and untouched
          The ocean's gentle hush
          It had a soothing lullaby
          But now it has a desperate cry
          This cry for help from animals afar
          As they suffer for our evil car
         

          They cry and they moan for some kind of lift
          One of happiness and conservation, the ultimate gift
          We are the bad and they are the suffering
          Oh come and suppress us of this bad offering
          Throw in the towel
          Call a timeout
          They can't take much more of what we throw out
          

          So, may I ask, is this what we want…
          Animal sculptures of something we used to taunt?
          They need a hero but we are the villain
          Yet are able to give them our penicillin
          We will need all that nature can offer
          Because our engine is starting to cough-er
          Cough up smoke and pollution
          Is there anyone out there with a solution?
          

          Everyone is scared, but can they try
          On behalf of animals that cannot cry
          All will be lost if we don't change our ways
          Like trying to explore an unfinished maze
          Does anybody want to take up this fight?
          Making a difference,  making it right.
          

          Why can't animals maintain the right
          Of being with us day and night?
          Is this too much to ask?
          To keep animals that came from the past?
          Cavemen drove mammoths to extinction
          Because of their superstitious addiction
          

          When will we have learnt our lesson
          Of giving in to nature's concession?
          Animals and human could be together
          But instead we have turned animals into leather
          Animals have to wait for kingdom come
          Whilst mankind becomes more of a scum
          

          Mankind doesn't even lift a finger
          To help these poor animals of our terrible linger
          Our terrible linger, our rotting smell 
          Is one that is known to unleash hell
          Man and nature we must persist
          To work together so we both exist
          Nothing in the world is really impossible
          Man and animals can be unstoppable!

A WALLABY, A SONG, A MISSION

I sat there, watching, as a wallaby hopped, across that smooth…soft…silky… yet crisp grass.Going about its day,it had not a care, yet determination was there,to feed its young back home.
But soon they will choke, on black, smoke.
The air was chilled, as the sun beat down, lighting the landscape before me. Trees whispered their thoughts, their fears, their desires, through leaves of brown, green and gold!
But a cloud of black smoke, will make it all choke.
The dewdrops were gone, but with them they'd left, a pureness in that rich air. Birds tweeted sweet songs, songs of hope, of joy!Songs encouraging the world to keep spinning!
Songs only to be drowned, to be bound, to be browned, to never be found after it came around…
That black, Smoke, that made them choke.

Up above me, the sky was clear. A shade of blue… this hue… oh, beauty so true! I don't know… do you? I'll give you a clue: like a drop of dew, it looked brand new! There were fluffy white clouds… a few, well, maybe two. It was like being on cue: fragile, but perfection if ever I knew.Oh, it was blue.
But on the wind it came, that black,choking, smoke.
But this beauty could be saved! Preserved, 'til the end of time! If only we tried… It is our doing, and now it's our time, to undo the crime, to be heroes of nature sublime! It's time, to finish this rhyme, and stop that black, smoke, from making it all choke.

THE RACE

Part 1

        The green trees sway in the wind...the race has started once again.
          "That green leaf from the ghostly gum is the favourite" Muddy, the commentator starts.
          The gun goes.
          The race for light has started.
          "The ghostly gum is about... Oh no it has been eaten by a wild brumby!  The race shall go on." Muddy cries.
          A year passes and the ghostly gum didn't win, but the red gum did.

Part 2

"But what happens to the rest of the trees?" asks little Suzie.
          "Well, most of the plants wait for the next tree to fall down, and the others well, umm, they grow into bushes," answers Suzie's mother.
          "But you sounded unsure mum so what does happen to the rest of the plants?" Suzie nags on.
          Suzie's dad, Frank, who'd had no input in to the conversation yet said,
          " Honey just tell her the truth. THEY DIE."
          Suzie said, "Mum can we plant more trees..."

THE SILENT KILLER

Whilst the Government argues away
The forests are wilting today
Apparently the carbon tax will do no right
The problem is in the light
Many people think that it's not true,
but it's important for me and you
The volcanoes are boiling
Whilst the countries are toiling
If the protesters had their way
Electricity would be swept away
Environmentalists are afraid of what's to come,
but what we all know is we will have to pay a great sum
The monkeys and baboons are leaving their treetop homes
Whilst the governments are asking for more loans
In my eyes all the system's wrong
The Government's complaint lines are very long
If only the plan was to simply talk,
but others choose to walk
Many people have taken the bags and left this place,
but these people are too hard to replace
The sea grasses are dying
and the dugongs are sighing
People think the hope is with quick solutions,
but the problem has been going on for years giving out pollutions
There is a solution that hasn't been realised,
but the people who believe in it are penalised
Politicians say that there is no practicality,
but really they have lost their sensibility
Whilst humans party and wreck the earth
It's really not our turf
If only the animals could talk, they would tell a horrible tale
and we would most likely give a wail
Technology is growing, but nature is not glowing
Some people believe in animals rights
But even they cannot help their plight
People should band together
It kills the innocent
It kills the ozone layer,
but it can't be stopped with a science major
It's a silent killer,
but it cannot be stopped by one person
It's global warming!

ENVIRONMENT POEM...

The birds, they wake me every morning
With their songs, their singing
This is their land
But where I live
But still I hear no mourning
I watch the flowers bloom
The earth, the trees
They reach for the moon
And hope for the chance
For where they lay
Just to last another day
The grass is brown
But meant to be green
The trees are a shadow
When meant to be seen
Oh why, oh why
This horrible day
It's not supposed to be this way
The sky turns black
I hear a crack
The trees they wither
They stand no more
The birds take flight
And leave the shore
For what will be forever more
Now I know
After all those years
That Mother Nature's silent calls of warning
Is the life each and every morning
But now all is gone
Without a warning
No trace is left
Except one little bird
From its mothers nest
And from that will grow
A new generation
Of love and caring
For all creation

SILENT WITNESS

Trees dance and play as we sleep.
They watch our planet -
watching you and me.
They see pollution float through the air.
They watch animals run in despair.

Even when one of their own falls to the ground;
they stand there strong
'til the chainsaw comes around.

As the trees whisper their secrets to the moon,
the animals gather to hear the news.
The planet is dying as we speak.
SO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT YOU AND ME!

They protect us, why can't we do the same?
Time is ticking; this is just plain lame,
PLEASE MAKE A CHANGE!

CHANGE

That vibe of green flourishes through my body.
The red sand lurks in the tent.
The kangaroo jumps in the bushes.

I wish that feeling was there every day... but it's not!
I get that sluggish, smugish, feeling, when I walk around town.

The question that races through my mind is, "How can we fix this?"
My answer is…
STOP THINK CHANGE!
Those palm trees still sway. The cricket still hums. And we still live.
STOP THINK CHANGE!
The wombat still wanders, but that creek is going dry.
STOP THINK CHANGE!